Game disk projector



Aug. 29, 1950 c. A. `r-'oRD 2,520,460

GAME DISK. PROJECTOR 4Filed May' 20, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet Jl f 20 f6 ,ya A232 /7 E Aug. 29,; 1950 c. A. FORD GAME msx PROJECTOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 20', 1947 Patented Aug'. 29, 1950 GAME" BS-K PEG'JEGTOR CharleswhEord, Clifton, N: .L

Applcatibngll/Iay" 20"; 1947, Ser'al Nor 7492185- ZiGlaims-.r1 (CLLIZIL-Jlf) This' invention relatesl to improvements im gamef apparatus; and` the inventionY has refer ence;4 more particulz'lrly;` toa" novel gainei ap@ paratusA vvherebff av playing? piece is adaptedA toA betossedprtippedby ja,- manipulatable" projectingI means tovvard a pocket targete adapted' fora the reception lthereof.

The invention has for" an object' to provide'A a noveli game; apparatus comprising a' support having at one end' a. targetu means prmficledvvitlrv a multiplicity of' playing; piece receiving` pockets of.: various selected` scoring va'1ues,`and having at theother end an adjustable ycatapult to wli'clr a playingfpiece', preferably'in theiformloffa rub"- ber dismny be appliedandithen by. manipulatedA operation of said catapult; thereby, tbssed or flipped towarcltl'ie target.

The i`r1veritio11.l1a.sfior` a further. obieotto,A pro.- vid'e, a novelgame.; appaltatus.. of;` the. k'nd de scribedY comprising` a. dat,` horizontally.- disposedl, boardw, ot suitable` vvicltl'i` andv length.. adapted` provide a. playing eld, upontheforward;portion of whichis mounted the manipulatabl'e catapult. device,` and over the.` rearward portierik of, whichn is mounted the. target.; saidu bored being1 surw rounded. by a -framingA comprising. upstandingr bounding sides and ends, thef portions! oii said.'-` sides andi ends` contiguousto the target beingof increased: heightV to: provide a1 ba'ok stop;r struor- 3l).` ture; and saidboardianddts framing.being?adaqzyts` ed, iftV desired,- Vto-be` supported: ata, suitablev playa` ing z level.` bylegi` portions; which. aref allineaA to;- thei corners thereof; v

The invention has for. another-'-objeietvto@prof`` 3 vide: a gamer apparatus` ofi the` kinch described, wherein: thev targettisf: formedr by.: interseetingi longitudinal` and;traneverseidivisionaor, partitionz` ing, memberstaclaptew tm provide a;multiplinitieolif perpendioularly opere` poelretsf;` said target: beine: 4m

hingedly;` connected; to: the 'contiguous-i endf= oifthei playing i board. framing; whereby` to ibex capable.: of? upswingingV movementrelative tntii'esunclerlying-z boardfsurface'sofastofexpose-playingrpieces Whichfi havel been; deposited:- ini they target pockets, to: 45-` thereby render said; pieces accessible:` forv4 withsdravvalf from beneathi the target, andi thusi nee coverable'- for subsequent play;`

Stil anothen object#L of theI invention` is tow proza` vide; ai combination; of the board: and: itsframing 50ih perspective Viewof? ther playingf pieces engaging? end of the'catapult deviner with whiohltheigamel apparatus: is, equipped 'Similar characters of reference are employed? in the lier'einabpvel described views; to indiate correspendingl parts.l

l'teferr-ingl tovtlie`- tlravvings;Y thelreiereneei char# aoterF H11 indica-tess thefboardf; the topL surfa'ee` 0F which provides the playing Held ofj thegame: Saidboard' isfrabbeted into surrounding frame ingcomprisingmain sietemembers Hi andZ mainY end members l2'. The boardi |59" isd positioned" relative to" the topi and' bottom edges off said? sideA andi' endi mem-bers" so as to be. disposed intere mediatesaidE edges; wherebyY then upper,` portions.

of said side* and end members provide an" up standing Wall surrounding the? tbpor ygilayiiie iiel'dsurface: of the board; whil'ej the; loWe'r portions of said* side andn end members provide'- tiieV 5,; sidesandlend'sofa compartment l`3` beneath. the:

" board; saidcompertinent` being; adapted; for pur-- poses t0 lie'. hereinafter explained,

The playing board is preferably sized' t'o pro-` vide a. playing; 'eld'- appnoxiinaiely upwards ofA four feet long, by. two feet, wide, surrnunud; by. a; main, upstanding vvall; formed" the upper pouti'onsi ofi saidf main. side and. end members;- lrIi-I'ZQ which is. of.' approximately two. inches` inY height.

Mountedi over the rearward" endlV portionoi:` the-f playing eld; supfaoe of*u the lcoaitdl mi isf ai. target struoture Wliieh. approximates, im vvioltln` of: saidiplaying eldgsuufaceandona length sub1-- stantiallycorrespondingl;tosuchtargetwidthuSaid' target: stnucture isf; formed:v by a? plurality of: up standineinterseotng:transverse: and longitudinali olivisiurr.on:partitioning` members` Mi and= lgsuitiL ably joinedlztogetherzr As thusim'medxthe targeta provides aimultiplioity orfitar'get pockets: lwhiehi end: of; trie'.r 1rarrring;,when these parts; are: dise 55t are; operai tupiand bottomabutiwhioln am#i closed;

at the bottoms when the target normally stands or rests upon the playing field surface of the board lil. The target pockets are of rectangular, and preferably of square, cross-sectional shape, and of dimensions somewhat exceeding the diameters of the playing discs to be subsequently described, being of depth preferably somewhat less than the height of the main side and end walls Il and l2. The number of pockets with which the target is provided is subject to variation, but preferably comprises ve rows thereof, each row comprising ve pockets, thus making twenty-ve pockets in all.

The target structure is hinged at its back end to the adjacent end wall member l2 of the framing of the board l@ by hinging elements il, and is provided, in connection with its front or free end, with a handle member i8. By reason of such hinged relation of the target structure relative to the playing field board and its walls, said target may be upswung from its normal at rest position upon the board, as shown by the broken line representation thereof in Fig. 2. By thus upswinging the target, playing discs which have lodged in the pockets I6 ythereof during the playing of the game, may be a-ccessibly exposed, subject to recovery by withdrawal to the front end of the playing field 4bo-ard. Such playing disc recovery operation may be facilitated by use of the rake I9 shown in Fig. 1`

In order to provide a back-stop structure around the sides and back of the target, auxiliary side and end back-stop walls 2li and 2l of extended height are affixed to the contiguous portions of the main side and end walls il and I2. Preferably, these auxiliary side and end backstop walls 26 and 2l are detachably connected with said side and end walls I l and l2. A convenient means for so detachably joining these wall parts together in operative assembled relation comprises the provision of tongues 22 of reduced thickness, which depend from the bottom edges of the auxiliary side and end back-stop walls 29 and 2l, and which are adapted to be entered in conforming sockets 23 with which the upper portions of the main side and end walls I l and i2 are provided. When said tongues 22 are entered in said sockets 23, transverse coupling pins or dowels 24 are removably engaged therethrough, thus securing the parts together in operative assembled relation.

A catapult device is affixed to the forward end portion of the playing eld board midway of the sides of the latter, and so as to be disposed in suitably outwardly spaced relation to the game target. This catapult device comprises a supporting block or column 25 of suitable height, which is arranged in upstanding relation to the board surface. Supported on the top end of said block or column 25 is one end of a catapult member 2S, which comprises an elongated strip of springy metal or other suitable resiliently flexible material, and which is of suitable length, width and thickness. The block or column 25 is affixed to the playing field board ill b-y a bolt 2l which extends axially therethrough, and through the supported end of said catapult member 26, these parts being clamped together by a main nut, preferably in the form of a wing-nut 28 which is screwed onto the upper free end portion of said bolt 2l. The base portion of the wing-nut substantially matches the tcp surface of block 25 in size and form for a purpose which will appear later. The catapult member 25,l as thus supported, is capable of laterally swinging angu- 4 lar adjustment, to the left or right, about the axis of the bolt 21. The wing-nut 28 is tightened home sufficiently to both firmly anchor the supported end of the catapult member 26 to the top of the block or column 25, and yet allow the desired swinging movement of the catapult -Inem-V ber, whereby to permit desired angular adjusting movement thereof by the player preparatory to use thereof in play; frictional resistance being set up which is suflicient to hold the catapult member against displacement from selected angularly adjusted position when manipulated in play. The wing-nut 23 having been adjusted to attain such end, the same is fixed against accidental loosening by a jam or lock nut 29 which is threaded onto the bolt 2l' above the wing-nut. The catapult member 26, as thus operatively mounted, extends toward the front end of the playing field board It, so as to be easily accessible for control and use by a player. At its free end portion, the catapult member 2t is provided with a pair of transversely spaced stop ears or abutments 3b intermediate which is provided a finger piece 3l, which extends outwardly behind the space between said stop ears or abutments, and which is preferably somewhat uptilted relative to the normal top face plane of said catapult member. The position of the catapult on the playing board is such that the finger piece will be substantially a finger length inward from the central depressed portion l2 of the front wall member l2, as shown in Fig. 2. The said depressed portion of the wall may thus be used as a handrest. By resting the hand while pressing the finger piece downward and then releasing it, greater precision in manipulation of the catapult may be attained than fno hand-rest were available.

The playing pieces for use in playing the game comprise a plurality of flat circular discs `Si. made of rubber or kof other comparatively` soft but shape retaining material. The discs 32 are of uniform size, and of suitable thickness; the diameters thereof being somewhat less in length than the widths and lengths of the target pockets I5, whereby to be capable of entering said pockets. Any selected number of playing discs 32 may be provided; ten such dises has been found to afford a satisfactory number thereof.

The target pockets l5 are suitably identified by various selected individual scoring value indicia desired to be assigned thereto (see Fig. l). Preferably pockets in the central areas of the target will be assigned comparatively high val-ues, while outlying pockets will be assigned progressively reduced values.

In playing the game, the player applies a playing disc 32 upon the free end of the catapult member 2t, so that the same abuts and is stopped against the stop ears or abutments 3i), thereupon, by pressing down upon the finger piece 3l, the player tensionally flexes the catapult member to the degree judged adequate to effect a desired cast and resultant trajectory of the playing disc toward a selected area of the target, whereupon the catapult member is released so as to spring upward and thus transmit casting force to the playing disc, whereby to toss or iip the same through the air toward the target, and so that the disc will, at the end of flight, fall into a pocket of the latter. The player repeats these operations until a desired predetermined number of discs have been cast. In repeating the operations, the player may swing the catapult member 26 to the left or right, as the case may be, to predetermine a desired angle of night judged to direct the played disc to selected areas of the target and the pockets therein located. After the player has played the assigned number of pieces, the scoring values of target pockets in which the played pieces have lodged are totaled to determine the players score for that inning. In competitive play, the competing players successively take their turns or innings of play; any number of turns or innings may be optionally allowed, and the player having the highest accumulated score will be determined the winner.

Due to the manner in which the catapult member is clamped between the substantially matching opposed faces of base block 25 and wing-nut 20, iiexing action of the catapult member will be smooth and practically noisless because `of the lack of play between said member and any normally contacting parts of the structure. This desirable condition exists regardless of the angular disposition of the catapult member in azimuth with relation to its pivotal axis.

The framed board I0 is preferably provided with supporting legs 33 of suitable length to support the same at a convenient height or level for use, but it will nevertheless be understood that such legs may be omitted and the framed board may be otherwise supported, as e. g. upon a table top, counter or like surface. When the legs 33 are provided, the same are preferably attached to the corner portions of the framed board I0.

The game apparatus may be constructed so as to be capable of being knocked down or disassembled for convenient storage or transportation. To this end, the auxiliary side and end back-stop walls and 2| may be removed by striking out the coupling pins or dowels 24, the legs 33 may also be removed, and the catapult member likewise removed if desired. When these parts are thus disassembled, the same together with the playing discs may be packed into the compartment I3 beneath the board I0. whereupon the thus knocked down apparatus may be boxed or crated for shipment or storage; or, if desired, the open side of the compartment I 3 may be covever and closed by suitable means (not shown).

From the above description it will be apparent the the instant invention provides a novel game apparatus well adapted to aiford an interesting pastime, and one requiring exercise of skill upon the part of the players.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

1. A playing piece catapult means for a game board having a target area at its inner end portion, the catapult means comprising a base block affixed to the outer end of the game board to upstand therefrom, said base block having a top surface, a vertical pivot bolt rising axially from the base block to project above its top surface, a catapult member in the form of a dat strip of resilient material having its inner end portion superposed upon the top surface of the base block, said inner end portion of the catapult strip having an aperture through which the pivot bolt projects whereby to pivotally mount the strip on the base block for lateral angularly adjusted disposition, a clamping nut threaded on the projecting portion of the pivot bolt with its bottom in clamping engagement with the catapult strip, said catapult strip having a flat seating surface at its free end portion for a disc-shaped playing piece, a nger piece of reduced width integral with and extending outwardly from the free end portion of the catapult strip, portions of the catapult strip bordering opposite sides of the finger piece being formed to provide tongues integral with said strip, said tongues being upwardly and inwardly curled to provide laterally spaced abutments, said abutments being adapted to straddle a disc-shaped playing piece deposited on the seating surface of the catapult strip whereby to center said playing piece on the latter.

2. A playing piece catapult means as defined in claim 1, including a hand rest rising from the outer end portion of the board by which the catapult means is supported, said hand rest being disposed a nger length distance outwardly from the finger piece end of the catapult means.

CHARLES A. FORD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 731,850 Bradbury June 23, 1903 827,626 Gillet July 31, 1906 848,711 Weaver Apr, 2, 1907 1,523,989 Wright Jan. 20, 1925 1,576,515 Kinney Mar. 16, 1926 1,641,977 Littlefield Sept, 13, 1927 2,114,777 Englerth Apr. 19, 1938 2,138,764 I-Iipwell Nov. 29, 1938 2,207,718 Cassidy July 16, 1940 2,424,016 Botts July 15, 1947 

